Nepenthales

An order of flowering plants, division Mag-noliophyta (Angiospermae), in the subclass Dilleniidae of the class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons). The order (also known as Sarraceniales) consists of 3 well-marked small families: the Droseraceae, with about 90 species; the Nepenthaceae, with about 80 species; and the Sarraceniaceae, with only about 16. The plants characteristically grow in waterlogged soils which are deficient in available nitrogen. They are herbs or shrubs with alternate, simple leaves that are modified for catching insects, from which they absorb nitrogenous nutrients. The pitcher plants (Sarracenia), sundew (Drosera), and Venus' flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) are well-known members of the order. See also Magnoliopsida.

Nepenthes rajah

Nepenthales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. The name was used by the Cronquist system for an order in subclass Dilleniidae, which in the 1981 version of this system included:

• order Nepenthales

  family Droseraceae

  family Nepenthaceae

  family Sarraceniaceae

The APG II system assigns this last family to the order Ericales and the first two to the order Caryophyllales. This is counter to what would be expected from the method of catching insects. Here, the Droseraceae stand apart, the sundews catching insects with adhesive droplets and the Venus Flytrap capturing them in leaves with interlocking teeth. The other two families include pitcher plants, which drown their prey.

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